Those "Dit" Names
"Dit" in French means "say" and in this context, it means "called." In other words, a person might be Pierre Bourbeau Dit Lacourse, which means that he had an ancestor named Bourbeau, but he chooses to use the name Lacourse instead. So he is Pierre Bourbeau called Lacourse.
People might take a Dit name to distinguish their family from another family of the same name living nearby. Often it was a sort of nickname, often picked up during service as a soldier. Or it might refer to the place in France where the family originated. Sometimes it was the mother's surname, and sometimes the father's first name was used, either instead of the surname (for example, Hébert dit Emmanuel) or in addition to it (Jeanbard, Castonquay). In any case, very often the dit name was passed down to later generations, either in place of the original surname, or in addition to it. Some of his children might then keep the original surname (e.g. Barbeau), and some might use the dit name (e.g. Lacourse).
After a few generations, it's not uncommon to completely lose the memory of the original name, or to forget which was the original and which was the dit name. The best example of this is the Hudon dit Beaulieu family, where you will often find people listed as Beaulieu dit Hudon. You sometimes might find a name and its dit name hyphenated, as in François Hudon-Beaulieu. In fact, you can generally assume that a hyphenated surname (before 1950, anyway) is the surname plus dit name. Just remember that any Hudon might be the child of a Beaulieu and vice versa.
Some surnames, such as Roy, have had several different dit names. You should be aware that usually a different dit name indicates a different family. For example, Siméon Roy dit Audy and Antoine Roy dit Desjardins were not related to each other. So it helps us to distinguish who's who among their descendants if the descendants use a dit name. Pierre Roy dit Audy will be a descendant of Siméon, and François Roy dit Desjardins will be a descendant of Antoine. If you find a source which tells you, for example, that Pierre Audy is François Desjardins' father, you should be very suspicious.
The sources you use may give the name as it appeared in the original document, or may list all the Hudons and Beaulieus together, under either name. Jette has standardized spellings, and leaves out "de" when alphabetizing, but he is faithful to the original surname of the family. So whether you are looking for a Hudon, a Beaulieu, or a Hudon-Beaulieu, they are all listed together under "H."
Searching hints: names with "de" should also be searched without the "de", for example de Hudon or DE Hudon should also be searched as Hudon. Many databases do not use accent marks, so search with and without accents for the best results.
Other sources may list the same person many different places, and some sources consider Beaulieu to be more common, and therefore they place the Hudons under "B." Don't assume a marriage or birth isn't listed until you've exhausted all possible names and spellings. And don't forget to check under the many spelling variations that were common. Any name that starts with a vowel, for example, might also be found with an H in front of it (Emond, Hemond, Ayot, Hayot). And the "o" sound at the end of a name might be spelled ot, eau, au, ault, eault, eau, aux, eaux, aud, or aut.
Acelin - Asselin
Agnier - Haguenier
Alarie - Lart
Albert - Beaulieu
Allaire - Daillaire
Amiel - Miel
Amiot - Lincourt, Villeneuve, Vincelot
Amirault - Mirault
Anctil -St-Jean
Angers - Lefebvre
Anse - Bernard, Hains
Arbour - Harbour
Ardouin - Hardouin
Arnaud - Renaud
Arrivé - Delisle, Larrivé Artigny - Rouer
Asselin - Ancelin
Aubertin - Bertin
Aubin - Delisle, Mignault, St-Aubin
Aubuchon - Desalliers, Leloyal
Audebout - Belhumeur Audet - Lapointe
Audy - Roy Auger - Baron
Babin - Lacroix, Lasource
Bajolet - Drouet
Bard - Jeanbard, Jombard
Baron - Auger, Caillault, Defoy
Baucher - Montmorency, Sansoucy
Beaubassin - LeNeuf
Beaubien - Trottier
Beauchemin - Petit
Beaudoin - Courcival
Beaulieu - Albert, Chauvin, Gourdeau, Hudon, Martin, Moulin, Philippe, Thomas
Beaumarchais - Juchereau
Beaumont - Couillard
Beausoleil - Bercy, Malboeuf, Normandin
Beignet - Besnier
Bélanger - Catherine
Belfonds - Genaple
Belhumeur - Audebout, Brunet, Charpentier, Philippe
Belisle - Billion, Germain, Goyer, Leborgne, Lefebvre, Marboeuf, Rotreau
Bellechasse - Berthier, Marsolet
Bellefontaine - Fortin, Godin
Bellerive - Couture, Crevier, Groton
Bellesîles - Gagnon Belleval - Fournier
Bellou - Hamelin
Belmont - Martin
Bénard - Bonenfant, Bourjoli, Carignan
Bernard - Anse, Jolicoeur, Gonthier
Berthier - Bellechasse
Bertin - Aubertin
Bidon - Jobidon
Bienville - Lemoine
Bigot - Duval
Blanchard - Raynaud
Bléry - Cauchon
Blondin - Leclerc, Sureau
Blouin - Laviolette
Bois - Charlebois
Boisjoli - Fafard, Griveau, Liénard, Ravion, Renaud
Boismenu - Monet
Boismorel - Petit
Boissonnault - St-Onge
Bonenfant - Bénard
Bonin - Deslauriers
Bonsecours - Fauteux
Bordet - Brassard
Borgia - Levasseur
Boucher - Boucherville, Desroches, Ducuron, Grandpré, Grosbois, Morin
Boulanger - Lefebvre
Boumois - Gauthier
Bourbon - Merdieu
Bourbonnais - Brunet, Dumay
Bourdelais - Arcand, Brane, Courrier, Desormaux, Talon
Bourgeois - Laverdure Bourgouin - Duverger
Bourguet - Etienne
Bourguignon - Bourgouin, Colleret, Couturier, Dessureaux, Verreau
Bourjoli -Bénard
Boutot - Thiboutot
Brasseur - Bordet
Breton - Bion, Courtois, Elie, Girard, Hautbois, Robert Briand - Georget
Brillon - Régnier
Bricourt - Herbin
Bruneau - Petit
Brunel - Brunet, Limousin
Brunet - Belhumeur, Bourbonnais
Cadillac - Lamothe
Cahouet - Caouet
Canard -Renaud
Cantin - Quentin
Carignan - Bénard, Bourbeau, Duclos
Caron - Dussault, Laviolette
Carrièare - Jamme, Lebrun
Casse - St-Aubin
Catherine - Bélanger
Cauchon - Bléry
Cavalier - Deslauriers, Rivet
Chabot - Lamarre
Chambeau - Fleury
Champagne - Aubin, Beaugrand, Dupré, Fontenelle, Gouin, Handgrave, Rémy, Sylvestre
Charbonnier - Desjardins
Charland - Francoeur
Charlebois - Bois, Joly, Jolibois
Charpentier - Belhumeur, Sansfaçon
Châtillon- Berson, Godin, Hardy, Mignault
Chauvin - Beaulieu Chenneville - Babie, Bigot
Chety - Joubert Chevalier - Biétry, Cardinet, Cheval, Lhullier, Potèare, Sauvage
Clément - Labonté
Clocher - Marquet
Coderre - Emery
Comtois - Carry, Gilbert, Royer
Corporal - Hus
Couillard - Beaumont, Deschênes, Desilets, Després, Lafleur
Courberon - Damours
Courcival - Beaudoin
Courtois - Breton
Courville - Abraham, Baret, Billy, Cadieux, Lefebvre, Piet
Couture - Bellerive
Couturier - Bourguignon
Croustille - Langlois
Daignault - Daniau
Daigle - Daigre Dallaire - Allaire
Damours - Courberon
Dandurant - Marcheterre
Daniau - Laprise
Deblois - Gregoire
Defoy - Baron
Deladurantaye - Ladurantaye, Morel
Delbec - Joli
Delisle - Arrivé, Aubin, Bienvenu, Bonin, Gauthier, LeGardeur
Demers - Dumay, Monfort
DeNevers - Brantigny, Brentigny
Denis - Lapierre
Deschamps - Hunault
Deschênes - Couillard, Miville
Deshazards - Maheu
Desilets - Couillard, Desrosiers, Guyon, Huard, Mousseau
Desjardins - Beaudin, Charbonnier, Delboeuf, Louvard, Roy, Verger
Deslauriers - Bonin, Cavelier, Cordeau, Dion, Favreau, Hébert, Ménard, Normandeau, Renard, Renaud, Tinon
Desloges - Poirier
Després - Couillard,
Dupré, Guyon
Desrochers - Bertrand, Duquet, Houde, Jean, Perrault, Sevestre
Desroches - Boucher, Laroux, Tinon
Dion - Deslauriers, Guyon
Dolbec - Dufresne
Dubois - Boutret, Filiau, Quintin
Duchesne - Lapierre Dufrenay - Guyon
Dufresne - Bouin, Dolbec, Fournier, Thunay, Vernas
Duhamel - Sansfaçon Dumay - Demers
Dupont - André, Gaudais, Locquet
Dussault - Caron, Toupin Drouet - Bajolet
Duclos - Carignan
Duplessis - Gardet, Gatineau, Guillemot, Moreau, Perrin, Sirois
Dupré - Després
Duval - Bigot, Charles, Chevreul, Lelièvre, Meunier, Renaud
Elie - Breton, Hélie
Emery - Coderre
Émond - Edmund
Eschambault - Fleury
Estiambre - Sansfacon
Etienne - Bourguet, Clérin
Fafard - Boisjoli
Fauteux - Bonsecours
Fleury - Chambeau, Eschambault
Fortin - Bellefontaine
Foucher - St-Aubin
Fournier - Belleval, Dufresne
Francoeur - Brûlé, Charland, Leclerc, Moreau
Gagnon - Bellesîles, Belzile Garnier - Grenier, Pellerin Gaudreau - Gotreau
Gauthier - Boumois, Comporté, Delisle, Gaultier
Gautron - Larochelle
Georget - Briand
Gervais - Talbot
Gilbert - Comtois
Gobloteur - Pelletier Godin - Bellefontaine, Châterneau, Petit
Gonthier - Bernard
Gotreau - Gaudreau
Grandmaison - Barbary, Drouet, Leblanc, Thériault
Gregoire - Deblois
Guyon - Desilets, Després, Dion, Dufresnay, Durouvray, Lemoine
Hamelin - Bellou
Harbour - Arbour
Hardouin - Ardouin
Hébert - Deslauriers, Jolicoeur, Laverdure
Herbin - Bricourt
Houde - Desrochers, Gervais
Huard - Desilets
Hudon - Beaulieu
Hunault - Deschamps
Hus - Corporal, Cournoyer Jean - Desrochers
Jobidon - Bidon
Joli - Delbec, Charlebois
Jolicoeur - Amand, Bernard, Bruneau, Dubois, Dupuis, Hébert, Normand
Jombard - Bard
Joubert - Chety
Juchereau - Beaumarchais, Duchesnay Labonté - Clément, Couturier, Laporte, Petit, Rousseau
Labourliare - Laplante
Lachance - Pepin
Lacroix - Babin, Bourgault, Delaunay, Lefebvre, Major, Neveu, Roberge, Voisin
Lafleur - Albert, André, Cauchon, Couillard, Dugas, Gendron, Parenteau
Lagacé - Mignier
Lamarre - Chabot
Lamothe - Cadillac, Giboire
Langlois - Croustille
Lapierre - Bardet, Denis, Duchesne, Joncas, Meunier, Roberge, Toupin
Laplante - delaBourliare, Madore
Lapointe - Audet, Clément, Godard, Robin, Simon
Laporte - Labonté
Laprise - Daniau, Daignault
Larchevêque - Lévesque
Larochelle - Gautron
Laurent - Provençal
Lavallée - Bouchard, Giguare, Paquet, Richard, Vallée
Laverdure - Bourgeois, Dutartre, Gély, Hébert, Valiquet, Verret, Vignault
Laviolette - Beaumont, Blouin, Caron, Dubois, Dumont, Greslon, Maillot, Prévost
Lart - Alarie
Leblanc - Dussault, Grandmaison, Jérôme, White
Leborgne - Bélisle
Lebrun - Carriare, Renel
Leclerc - Blondin, Clair, Francoeur
Lefebvre - Angers, Bélisle, Belleran, Boulanger, Courville, Faber, Lacroix
Lelièvre - Duval
Lemoine - Bienville
LeNeuf - Beaubassin
Lepage - Pagé
Leroy - Roy
Levasseur - Borgia, Carmel, Chaverlange
Lévesque - Larchevêque, Sansoucy
Lhullier - Chevalier
Liénard - Boisjoli, Durbois, Léonard
Limousin - Brunel
Lombret - Simard
Maheu - Deshazards
Malboeuf - Beausoleil
Marcheterre - Dandurant
Marquet - Clocher
Marsolet - Bellechasse
Martin - Belmont
Meunier - Lapierre
Michaud - Michel
Michel - Taillon
Miel - Amiel
Mignault - Aubin, Châterneau, Labrie
Mignier - Lagacé, Magnan
Miville - Deschênes
Monet - Boismorel
Monjoly - Sansfaçon
Montmorency - Baucher
Moreau - Duplessis, Duportail
Morel - Deladurantaye
Morin - Boucher, Chenevert, Valcourt
Noel - Labonté
Normand - Jolicoeur, Labriare
Normandeau - Deslauriers
Normandin - Beausoleil
Pagé - Lepage
Pasquier - Paquet
Pellerin - Garnier
Pelletier - Gobloteur, Legobloteur
Pepin - Lachance
Perrault - Desrochers
Petit - Beauchemin, Boismorel, Bruneau, Coulange, Godin, Labonté
Phocas - Raymond
Poirier - Desloges
Pothier - Laverdure
Prévost - Provost
Provençal - Laurent
Quentin - Cantin
Quintin - Dubois
Raymond - Phocas
Raynaud - Blanchard
Régnier - Brillon
Rémy - Champagne
Renard - Cardon
Renaud - Canard,
Châterneau, Davenne
Reynaud - Arnaud
Rivet - Cavalier, Durivet, Dusouchet
Rotreau - Bélisle
Rouer - Artigny
Rousseau - Labonté
Roy - Audy, Chouigny, Desjardins, King, Leroy
Royer - Comtois
St-Aubin - Casse, Foucher, Serreau
St-Jorre - Sergerie
St-Onge - Aubé, Baril, Boisson, Joly, Martineau, Ménard
St-Pierre - Boucher, Boulanger, Marquet, Perrault, Prudhomme, Rivet
Sansfaçon - Charpentier, Duhamel, Estiambre, Monjoly
Sansoucy - Baucher, Béchet, Girardin, Lévesque, Suprenant, Vallée
Sergerie - St-Jorre
Serreau - St-Aubin
Sevestre - Desrochers
Simard - Lombret
Sirois - Duplessis
Sylvestre - Champagne
Taillon - Michel
Talbot - Gervais
Talon - Bourdelais
Thériault - Grandmaison
Thiboutot - Boutot
Tinon - Deslauriers, Desroches
Toupin - Dussault, Lapierre
Trottier - Beaubien, Valcourt
Valcourt - Morin, Valcourt
Verreau - Bourguignon
Villeneuve - Amiot, Arnould, Bourbeau, Labbe
First Names
Hours have been spent searching for individuals whose surnames are not a problem, but who are not listed consistently under their first names. Here are a few tips we have picked up that may be of some help, especially if you are just starting out and especially if you don't speak French as a first language:
For men, especially after 1800 or so, if you can't find the name you are looking for, stick "Joseph" in front of it. During some periods, we estimate 2/3 of all boys were named "Joseph-" something-or-other. If the name you can't find is Placide or Xavier, t then the first name is 99 per cent sure to be François-Placide or François-Xavier. If it's Baptiste, of course it's almost certainly Jean-Baptiste. Lin is short for Alain. Paul is a very common short form of Hippolyte, and it's occasionally short for Napoléon. Fred may be either Frederic or Alfred. Gonzague is probably Louis de Gonzague.
Also, if you are using a source that generally uses hyphenated names, like Joseph-Leonard, and you find an un-hyphenated name, like Leonard David, then you may be looking not for someone named Leonard-David, but for a Leonard whose father's name is David.
For women, always look for the name with "Marie-" in front. This started much earlier than all the "Joseph"s, and happened even more often during some periods, up to 4/5 of the girls born. Also, if her name is Delima, chances are she was born Rose de Lima (or Marie-Rose-de-Lima). (Then again, she might also have been born [Marie-] Adelina, a name that gets either changed to Delima or mistaken for it quite a bit). Elisabeth is used interchangeably with Isabelle. Marie-Josephe (or Marie-Josephte) is often listed as Josette.
Our page Old Quebec Customs has more detail about naming you will find of value.
One thing that can make it difficult to find your ancestor is that he may have been using a different surname from the one that you expect. You will need to make yourself aware of any "dit" names that might be associated with the surname you are tracing, and if you can't find someone under the name of his child, you may find him under the dit name.
"Dit" in French means "say" and in this context, it means "called." In other words, a person might be Pierre Bourbeau dit Lacourse, which means that he had an ancestor named Bourbeau, but he chooses to use the name Lacourse instead. So he is Pierre Bourbeau called Lacourse.
People might take a dit name to distinguish their family from another family of the same name living nearby. Often it was a sort of nickname, often picked up during service as a soldier. Or it might refer to the place in France where the family originated. Sometimes it was the mother's surname, and sometimes the father's first name was used, either instead of the surname (for example, Hébert dit Emmanuel) or in addition to it (Jeanbard, Castonquay).
In any case, very often the dit name was passed down to later generations, either in place of the original surname, or in addition to it. Some of his children might then keep the original surname (e.g. Barbeau), and some might use the dit name (e.g. Lacourse). After a few generations, it's not uncommon to completely lose the memory of the original name, or to forget which was the original and which was the dit name. The best example of this is the Hudon dit Beaulieu family, where you will often find people listed as Beaulieu dit Hudon. You sometimes might find a name and its dit name hyphenated, as in François Hudon-Beaulieu. In fact, you can generally assume that a hyphenated surname (before 1950, anyway) is the surname plus dit name. Just remember that any Hudon might be the child of a Beaulieu and vice versa.
Some surnames, such as Roy, have had several different dit names. You should be aware that usually a different dit name indicates a different family. For example, Siméon Roy dit Audy and Antoine Roy dit Desjardins were not related to each other. So it helps us to distinguish who's who among their descendants if the descendants use a dit name. Pierre Roy dit Audy will be a descendant of Siméon, and François Roy dit Desjardins will be a descendant of Antoine. If you find a source which tells you, for example, that Pierre Audy is François Desjardins' father, you should be very suspicious.
The sources you use may give the name as it appeared in the original document, or may list all the Hudons and Beaulieus together, under either name. Jette has standardized spellings, and leaves out "de" when alphabetizing, but he is faithful to the original surname of the family. So whether you are looking for a Hudon, a Beaulieu, or a Hudon-Beaulieu, they are all listed together under "H." Other sources may list the same person many different places, and some sources consider Beaulieu to be more common, and therefore they place the Hudons under "B." Don't assume a marriage or birth isn't listed until you've exhausted all possible names and spellings.
Don't forget to check under the many spelling variations that were common. Any name that starts with a vowel, for example, might also be found with an H in front of it (Emond, Hemond, Ayot, Hayot). And the "o" sound at the end of a name might be spelled ot, eau, au, ault, eault, eau, aux, eaux, aud, or aut.
Edited by Lionel Mayrand,
from an unknown source, please let us know if you find the orginal article
so we can give credit.
